As long as we keep a good relationship with ESPN and don’t piss them off like the original Big East did, we will be fine. They are getting an excellent product at an even better price. No need for scorched earth unless the AAC starts feeling themselves too much.

There is no doubt about it. Even though espn wants some content for espn+ they will always want to make their P5’s product better. More and more are cutting the cord so the P5 will land on espn+. You can be sure of it. What matters most is that we are part of these two being picked up by a P5.

For me, it is not the contract talks. For me it is that the AAC is very competitive at the top in CFB and BB. The only reason UCF lost the access bowl was their starting a true freshman QB.

If you are going to look at lost players, also give credit to LSU. They were starting WRs at DB, and Olineman along the Dline. I believe LSU had something like 9 starters missing going into plus lost 2 more to injury in the game itself.

So I’d say the key players missing competition was actually won by LSU. The UCF D lost that game, they just weren’t able to stop LSU. The UCF O still managed to score 32.

For me, it is not the contract talks. For me it is that the AAC is very competitive at the top in CFB and BB. The only reason UCF lost the access bowl was their starting a true freshman QB.

Now the AAC looks like a 4 bid league for the BB tourney. And that is with Memphis and UConn being down.

At some point ESPN is going to work with its TV partner conferences to destroy the AAC by picking off a couple teams near the top. Not sure they reall care which two as long as it busts the league.

This scenario is fine with me. I can’t imagine a scenario where Houston is not one of, if not the most attractive school for a P5 conference. We have the best facilities in the conference, the largest athletic budget, the largest coach salaries, the best TV market, and, now that Coach Sampson has brought our basketball program back from the dead, arguably the most competitive teams in the 2 revenue sports.

UH and UCF are the top 2 AAC schools as P5 targets. USF and Cincy are next. USF may be able to get a leg up on UH because it’s a natural travel partner for UCF. Eg I doubt the Big 12 would just add UCF, it’ll go with UCF and USF.

I think they are “grooming” 4 programs to be P5 ready…3 of the 4, without a doubt, are Houston, Central Florida, and Cincinnati. They are waiting for the 4th to distinguish themselves…could be Memphis, could be USF, could be Temple, could be UCONN but this group all comes with glaring negatives.

The rest have ZERO x Infinity chance.

For the 4, this allows them options to beef up the P5…ACC, Big 12, or PAC will need to back fill IF/WHEN there is a major shift. OR…one of those conferences could get aggressive RIGHT NOW…I’d love to see the ACC pull the trigger on Houston and Cincinnati. Makes too much sense …new markets, competitive basketball and football programs, etc.

I noticed that you typed, “We’re the largest althletic budget”. How accurate is that?

We should actually be around #2/3 in the conference. As of 2016-2017, the AAC numbers, according to USA Today, were as follows:

UConn - $83MM

Cincinnati - $62MM

UCF - $56MM

Houston - $55MM

Memphis - $48MM

East Carolina - $48MM

South Florida - $48MM

Wichita State - $28MM

Navy, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, and Temple, as private universities, do not have that information available as public record. We were #4, very close behind UCF, in 2016-17, and have increased our budget substantially since then, primarily in coaching salaries and the basketball program.

If you look at athletic budgets. Most competitive schools are spending $80m±, the fact that we do what we do shy of that number $25m is incredible. Put that into perspective, that if $5m of that per year goes into paying higher salaries to keep coaches. That’s half a billion every 25 years for new, upgraded or remodeled facilities.

Everyone at the top of the AAC had the same worry. Being in the AAC after the next round of realignment. Everyone at the bottom of the AAC’s worry is who they have to backfill with in the even if realignment.

I noticed that you typed, “We’re the largest althletic budget”. How accurate is that?

We should actually be around #2/3 in the conference. As of 2016-2017, the AAC numbers, according to USA Today, were as follows:

UConn - $83MM

Cincinnati - $62MM

UCF - $56MM

Houston - $55MM

Memphis - $48MM

East Carolina - $48MM

South Florida - $48MM

Wichita State - $28MM

Navy, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, and Temple, as private universities, do not have that information available as public record. We were #4, very close behind UCF, in 2016-17, and have increased our budget substantially since then, primarily in coaching salaries and the basketball program.

Wonder why Temple wasn’t highlighted, it is a public, state university.

I’d love to see the ACC pull the trigger on Houston and Cincinnati. Makes too much sense …new markets, competitive basketball and football programs, etc.

Wow! You presented an extremely strong scenario there! Both schools represent new markets for the ACC, two of the largest football/basketball markets in the country! This would definitely help the ACC with recruiting and make the ACC a much more dominant conference!

I think UH, Cinci, and UCF, in that order, have the most to give to a power 5 conference. The ACC have always been my first choice for UH to join as well. It makes the most sense in my opinion and it benefits both parties.

Houston to the ACC would be sweet, but extremely difficult the first 3-5 years in football simply because it would take them that long to build depth through recruiting. I think Basketball and Baseball as well as the other sports would be competitive early on.

I think it would probably take Holgerson 2-3 years to compete for the conference title in the ACC! I think the recruiting would be that much better for UH once it has that power 5 conference association, especially an association with the ACC or SEC Conference.